Activities for When You’re Indoors

Hi all,

There are plenty of things to do while self-isolating due to the COVID-19 virus.  Here are a list of things to do to fight off boredom while indoors.

Virtual Tours, Concerts, Operas, and other digital tools to help you stay sane during the quarantine:

1. UNESCO World Heritage sites you can visit online and take virtual tours in. Perfect for taking a “field trip” in your own home without air faire or passports.
2. Concerts, Museums, and even Operas you can attend virtual and free.
3. Beaches, Zoos, Wildlife Reserves, National Parks, and 38 total virtual enabled vacations and trips!
4. More World Heritage sites from UNESCO, these sites are in the North Rhine-Westphalia.
5. Want to visit Buckingham Palace and other lovely houses and residences? Here’s your ticket!
6. Visit Smithsonian museums in Washington DC without the hassle of actually going down I-495. Features 68 collections to enjoy!
7. Overlapping, but here are more museums and culture locations to visit online.
8. Have a casino night with friends here.

Classes to take while you wait for the day you can visit the university again:

This has 450 university courses for free and from reputable universities!

Exercises you can do indoors with body weight:

This is a 30-day full body workout plan with videos for exercises you can do.

For Parents:

Here are two articles for how to survive working from home with kids.

From Fast Company, and the Wire Cutter.

For the parents reading this, here are things to do with the kids and keep your sanity while indoors:

1. Here are 125 ideas of things to do with the kids, such as making cardboard forts and visiting Yellowstone virtually, or even train the dog.
2. Here are 100 more activities to try out, many of which as DIY art activities such as making your own chalk and soap. Some overlap with the first entry.
3. Virtual Disney roller-coaster rides!
4. Music for the whole family, everything from teaching yourself to music from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Broadway. Mostly free, though some have a free trial period.
5. Free educational games for kids from GoNoodle.
6. Levar Burton reading stories for both kids and adults. By the way, its livestreamed!
7. More educational activities for kids, several sites that are STEM focused.
8. Naturecams, exercise activities, educational resources, and more from the good folks in Monaco.

For Pets, furbabies, and other family members of an inter-species household:

1. From PETA, information to help entertain your pets.
2. From the American Veterinary Medical Association, information on the health of pets.
3. Youtube content for Dogs, and possibly cats.
4. Dog TV on Youtube. This is special programming tailored for dogs.
5. Cat game of catching fish, hosted by Youtube.

Lastly, relaxation in calm activities:

1. A coral reef aquarium, just watching the coral and the fish. No music, like being underwater.
2. Beach front in Dominica, like being on the beach during a summer day with nothing to worry about. Here is one with animals in the distance.  This one is for if you really just want to hear the waves crashing on the beach.
3. Walking through the forest. Plenty of natural scenery, but does not scroll.
4. Classic fireplace scene with burning log. This is a campfire with birdsong.
5. Walking the streets of Manhattan in the rain. Or East Shinjuku, Tokyo.
6. A run through Wailea Beach, in Maui, Hawaii.
7. A bike ride through Venice Beach, in Santa Monica, California.

Helpful links for peace of mind and the latest information about dealing with COVID-19:

The CDC

Taiwan’s CDC (They acted early and gathered as much detail as possible, and have resources for tracking potential infection under the Guidelines section).

WHO

For Mental Health:

For everyone really, and for kids specifically, and for our furry family members.